Blog

I've just set up my iPhone to make a VPN connection to my home servers via PPTP. No, this protocol is not unsecure. It's a long lasting urban myth, so don't mail me with some crap about it. I've chosen a strong password and that's it.

It was quite easy to setup, just add a user to your router at home/office. Then go to SETTINGS - GENERAL - NETWORK - VPN and add a new vpn-connection.

Provide your username and password and think about whether you want your entire traffic routed through your VPN (then check ALL TRAFFIC) or just the routes to your private network.

I gave it some thoughts, and by choosing ALL TRAFFIC you essentially get a complete encryption of your traffic. So, if you're using public, unencrypted hotspots, anybody could see the filthy sites your surfing on. This is a great and EASY way to prevent this (if you have a PPTP-capable router). Communications between you and the site is still in part unencrypted, but just the route between it and your own router (which hopefully sits on a non-public somehow secure line).

To put it in a nutshell: using this technique you're browsing as secure as you would when you are at home in front of your computer.

That's it. Best of all, you now have a direct on/off switch for the VPN in your SETTINGS menu so you don't have to dig deep to turn it on and off.

I suggest turning it on every time you're on an unencrypted or otherwise untrustworthy network (airport WiFi, etc.). Just remember to choose a STRONG password. And your children's names are not a strong password ;-)